Ukip leader Nigel Farage calls on critics to challenge him or unite as he claims support of party

Leader: Nigel Farage on BBC Question Time, where he tried to calm infighting

Nigel Farage today lashed out at his critics, demanding they either step out of the shadows and challenge him or unite behind his leadership.

In what will be seen as a swipe at Ukip’s only MP, Douglas Carswell, Mr Farage claimed an unnamed figure had been briefing against him but lacked the “courage” to do so openly.

It comes after one of Mr Farage’s aides accused top Ukip figures MEP Patrick O’Flynn and Mr Carswell of bringing the party into “national disrepute”.

Speaking on Sky News, Mr Farage said even Mr O’Flynn, who had made a personal attack on him, had now given his leadership support. But he went on: “There is one senior figure in Ukip, briefing every single day consistently.

“He’s now moved on to [saying] there must be a leadership election. That individual must make his mind up whether his future is with Ukip.”

Mr Farage claimed only “two or three” people amongst Ukip’s 47,000 members did not support him. He also claimed to have the backing of Ukip’s top figures in the Lords and European Parliament and party’s ruling NEC.

It comes after Nigel Farage’s aide, Raheem Kassam, called on Ukip members to back the leader and accused Mr Farage’s rivals, Mr O’Flynn and Mr Carswell, of being “selfish”. Mr Kassam also hit out at major donor Stuart Wheeler, who said Mr Farage should step down and give others a chance to stand for the leadership.

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At the end of a chaotic day yesterday, Mr Kassam and another of Mr Farage’s aides said they would leave the party.

They had previously been attacked as “aggressive” by economics spokesman Mr O’Flynn, who also claimed Mr Farage had become a “snarling, thin-skinned aggressive man”.

Meanwhile, Mr Carswell inflamed the row after refusing to accept £650,000 of ‘short money’ from Parliament, claiming it was “absurdly generous”.

Speaking on BBC radio, Mr Kassam denied he had ever been aggressive and said it had been “unbefitting” of Mr O’Flynn to make his attack.

He said: “The characters who brought this up, namely Douglas Carswell and Patrick O’Flynn, are acting on purely selfish terms. They saw me as Nigel’s body armour and if they went after me that they’d get to Nigel.

“These people are not acting in the best interest of the party, what they are doing is bringing the party into major national disrepute.”

After Mr Wheeler last night led calls for Mr Farage to stand down, Mr Kassam said the spread betting tycoon had “a very old fashioned view of the party”.

Mr Farage tried to calm the row on BBC Question Time last night, saying people had been “letting off steam” after a tough election campaign.

He went on: “The level of support for me in the party is phenomenal and, frankly, to go through a leadership contest at a time when [David] Cameron says he’s renegotiating our relationship with the European Union would be a massive mistake.”

The leader had pledged to stand down if he lost his battle to win the South Thanet seat for Ukip. He tendered his resignation after losing, but it was reversed after the party’s ruling NEC asked him to stay.

Migration spokesman Steven Woolfe today sought to draw a line under the row, saying it was an “irrelevant” question as to whether Mr Farage should stay or go.